Do you have plans to attend an Industry Event in 2019? If yes, it’s time to plan how you’ll promote your attendance and get as many visitors as possible to your stand.
Here’s a helpful list to get your planning started:
- Check out sponsorship opportunities: Can you sponsor a panel discussion or a networking reception? Can your company name and logo appear on the tote people are given when they register to get their badge?
- Determine what announcement(s) you’ll make before the event or during the event (think: must be newsworthy) and draft a press release to issue well ahead of the event start date to interest media in meeting with you to learn more. When inviting key media and analysts to meet with you, make your pitch compelling, timely and relevant to their areas of coverage to maximise success.
- Decide who will be your spokespeople for meeting with media and analysts, and pitch him or her for one to ones at least four weeks before the event start date – before media and analysts’ diaries are too full to allocate any time for meeting with your spokesperson.
- Put together a showcase of your products/services to highlight. If appropriate, plan to show a demo of the latest product enhancements or any new products you’re announcing.
- Set up a dedicated section of your website for your event attendance with the spokesperson, announcement and showcase on it – ensure that this landing page link is shared in all outgoing communications and in your press release, plus social media, to attract as many visitors as possible. While people are visiting that page on your website, they may stay to take a look at others.
- Pick a hashtag you’ll use in all social communications promoting your attendance at the event and while your team is onsite. Make it memorable and use it everywhere. If you have the budget, ask a relevant influencer to partner with you to also use your hashtag as their followers may share it with their followers, helping you reach a wider audience. Who knows, your hashtag could be one that’s trending before the event finishes
- Create or update stand signage to create a bold impression that will attract more visitors to stop by your stand. Could you do a small pop-up display in another area of the event floor to amplify your presence and get more people to notice your brand, products/services?
- Consider a branded item to giveaway at your stand. Ensure you stand giveaway is a useful item that will be carried around for weeks or maybe months after the event – like a reusable coffee cup or quality stationery. It’s also a good idea to give away chocolates and little treats for passers-by and visitors to keep them going energy-wise as they trawl the event floor.
- Consider working with a team of leafleters for them to go around the event handing out notices about your demo and stand number to try and entice people to swing by and see you.
- Do a Facebook Livestream from your stand, announcing you are at the event and where about on the event floor, to encourage any followers who are also at the event to come by.
- A joint marketing effort might be a good idea, if your new product or service is being used by any companies that are also attending the event – you could set aside some time in a planned location to both invite key media and analysts to attend a joint press conference, which would be held at the event. – you could set aside some time in a planned location to both invite key media and analysts to attend a joint press conference, which would be held at the event.
- Before the event, have each and every one of your customer-facing team members highlighting the fact that you will be at the event – not just so they know, but also so they tell any of their friends and business colleagues who may also be in the market for similar products and services about your attendance.
- Have a dedicated tweeter for the time you’re at the event, sharing images of people visiting your stand and your demo, plus talking about what you’re up to and how the event is going for you but, most importantly, your stand number and the benefits of coming to speak with you there. Live social interaction is priceless so having someone 100% focused on social means that any conversations or comments that come through can be answered and responded to straight away, which is what every potential customer or visitor wants.
To stand out and maximise your attendance, it’s important to take a creative and thoughtful approach so you don’t get lost in the crowd. If you’d like help planning your event promotion strategy, please contact us, TechComms, a b2b tech marketing and communications agency on + 44 (0) 203 322 8928.
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